Wednesday, February 14, 2007

The Google You're Not Using

Google Labs
Google is a great search engine. Maybe you even use GMail or Google Maps. But there are many other services that Google offers that you may not be using. Here's the top five other Google features (in my opinion):
5. Video - Sure, Google bought YouTube. But its own video service provides plenty of TV shows and shorts, all with quality better than YouTube. And no fake 17-year-old girls.
4. Book Search - One of the most ambitious projects in Internet history, Google is currently scanning and making searchable entire libraries of books. Feel free to read Great Expectations, Hamlet or a nutty 1869 book on Freemasonry.
3. Calendar - If you've got a GMail account, get your use out of it by using this built-in feature. Keep your life straight anywhere you go with this easy to use dayplanner.
2. Docs & Spreadsheets - These are two online applications that allow you to create documents, like in Word, and spreadsheets, like in Excel, on any computer without having to install software. The features are a little limited, but this is a very promising feature.
1. Earth - Okay, this isn't that obscure. And it's not as much an online feature as a free download. But install this the first time, and try not to spend twenty minutes looking up your house, your friends' houses, your office and the Starbucks where that cute barista works.

For a list of all Google's fun extra features, check out the complete list.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't believe all the features that Google has, especially the book search. Are they able to scan all books into the system, or just the ones where the copyrights have expired?

S Crespi said...

Hey Wes,

Google does some cool stuff but remember when they lost a bunch of emails? I don't trust 'em.

Why do I always come off as paranoid when I comment on your blog?

Andrew said...

I could have learned about Pip and Joe and Miss Havisham and Stella without paying for it? Nuts... Buying books makes me sad.

Matt Hund said...

I like Google Scholar the best: it's perfect for looking up professional journal articles an hour before your abstract summary is due, not that I ever procrastinate or anything.

Blogger Beth said...

I really like Google earth. Though it is creepy how close you can get.

I didn't know about half of that though! I'll have to try it!